The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers, GOCOP, has condemned, in very strong terms, the serial attacks on journalists covering the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest, describing the act as undemocratic and repressive.
The condemnation was made in a statement signed by its president, Ms. Maureen Chigbo and general secretary, Mr. Collins Edomaruse.
GOCOP noted that journalists were partners in national development as well as critical stakeholders in the advancement of democracy and civil liberties and therefore deserved to be protected, and not suppressed as the security agents tried to do during the protest.
The body of online publishers specifically called on relevant authorities in Nigeria, especially security agencies, to see journalists as partners and voices of the voiceless rather than treat them as meddlesome interlopers and enemies of the people.
Citing growing harassment of journalists including the denial of their fundamental right to life in the course of discharging their duties, GOCOP appeals to Nigerian security agencies to ensure the safety of all journalists especially during protests, riots and elections.
GOCOP said the media had the capacity to support peace and reconciliation processes among political actors, between leaders and their followers and among the various ethnic nationalities in the country, hence should be allowed to play its constitutional role.
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Aggregating statistics from various media reports, GOCOP said over 30 journalists had been attacked across the country during the protest which commenced on August 1.
GOCOP listed media houses which had had their staffers attacked with their tools (phones and cameras either seized or destroyed) as including Premium Times, Daily Independent, Punch, TVC News, Guardian, Pointer newspaper, among others.
GOCOP acknowledges the right of citizens to protest but cautioned that on no account should any protest go beyond the bounds of peace and turn violent thereby creating opportunity for looters and hoodlums to hijack what was intended to be a peaceful show of anger against bad governance.
While GOCOP condemned the violence that attended the protests in some parts of the country, it urges the security agencies to investigate, arrest and prosecute those found culpable in visiting mayhem and destruction on the nation and the citizenry.
GOCOP also strongly condemned the subversive actions of some disgruntled Nigerians in cahoots with foreigners who during the protest sewed, distributed and flew Russian flags in some states and called for unconstitutional change of government.
GOCOP said it considered such act as not only subversive but a direct affront on the sovereignty of the nation.
It called on the federal government to ensure the diligent prosecution of those involved in such act that impugned the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nigeria.
GOCOP appealed to President Bola Tinubu who for most part of his life championed the cause of democracy and independence of the media to prevail on the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police to stop forthwith any form of harassment, intimidation, attack and arrest of journalists legitimately discharging their constitutionally assigned duties.
Media suppression did not only project Nigeria in bad light, it portrayed the Tinubu government as a dictatorship in a democracy, GOCOP asserted.
GOCOP urged journalists to remain steadfast in the discharge of their duties by operating within the ambit of professionalism, fairness and factuality.
